ByadminThe Vasylivka Survival Path in Zaporizhzhia: the Toll of Escaping to Freedom
The small town of Vasylivka in Zaporizhzhia region became well known even to those, who have never been there. Vasylivka has been the eye of a needle for several months as the only exit point for the community of such large and densely populated regions as Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk, who were trying to escape from Russian occupation. And the road, so new that it is still evaporating the odours of the finish, having served the highway to the sun-drenched beach to multiple cars aiming to reach it day and night, has turned into a survival path for Ukrainians. It was called so after the invaders blew up a road bridge, so in order to get to Zaporizhzhia, the one must take a detour across the muddy track.
Crossing the occupation checkpoint in Vasylivka begins with a long queue. More than 1,200 cars are waiting at the checkpoint, with almost 6,000 people in aiming to escape to Zaporizhzhia. The aggressors once again showed their mean nature, turning into “gop-stoppers”. The Russian invaders made the queue where they accepted bribes for quicker check out.
“There are three queues there. The first is charged for $100 to $500 to check out, and people can leave overnight. The second one is for preference categories, including the disabled, small children, the elderly who must wait 3 to 4 days. The third one is for the rest, who supposed to wait up to 7 days”, Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of Melitopol, said on the air of the Ukrainian-wide news broadcast.
Social network communities describe the terror near the checkpoint as carved forever in the memory with its mines, debris, and destroyed villages around. Those who have already left suggest taking large stocks of food with them, given that the journey can take many days. There are cases when the people are allowed to spend the night in Vasylivka.
The challenges continue even after crossing the ruscist checkpoint. The fact is that the invaders blew up the road bridge on this highway, and in order to get to Zaporizhzhia, one must take a detour, across a muddy track. As the rains have become more frequent in Zaporizhzhia, the part of the evacuation route near the village of Kamianske has turned into impassable swamp. The cars of the evacuation teams are stuck in there.
To save the people escaping out of the occupation, 13 teams of Ukrainian rescuers on three special vehicles are on duty around the clock, helping people to cross the muddy road. The employees of the State Emergency Service towed about 500 vehicles, including 100 trucks within 4 days.
The Ukrainians are withstanding the challenges at the checkpoint despite the hostile attitude and behaviour of the invaders, the length of the queues, in which 4 people have died in Vasylivka, mines, impassability, malnutrition, shooting and the heat. Such is the toll of escaping to freedom, which costs a lot forever.
